By John LeBlanc for MSN Autos
You don’t have to be a sports fan to know the National Football League’s championship game is this Sunday. As one of the most-watched television events annually, companies looking to make a big marketing splash have coveted the game’s half-time commercial spots for years. And with sales rebounding in the U.S., automakers have jumped on Super Bowl ad bandwagon this year in a big way.
By Justin Couture, MSN Autos
Although it wasn't explicitly singled out during its official unveiling, it was crystal clear which vehicle Cadillac had in its sights when it was developing the new ATS sedan. As with pretty much every other brand – German or otherwise – Cadillac has its sights set on the BMW 3 Series.
With the next-generation CTS set to grow to rival the 5 Series and A6 in size, the ATS's 4.6-meter-long length puts it in the heart of the compact luxury sector. It rides on a brand new platform, and the preliminary specs lend it good performance credentials. Weight distribution for this rear-drive sedan is a perfect 50/50. As for weight, for a change, it's not one of the class' heavyweights. Promised to tip the scales at less than 1,542 kg (3,400 lbs), it undercuts Audi's A4 and Benz's C-Class by some 45 kg (100 lbs).
When it enters production this summer, the ATS will be available with three different engines. The base engine – the so-called “fuel-economy leader” – will be a naturally-aspirated, direct-injected 2.5-litre four-cylinder which should be good for about 200 horsepower and nearly 190 lb.-ft. of torque. It will be available in rear or all-wheel drive, and comes standard with a six-speed automatic. On the other end of the spectrum will be the direct-injected 3.6L V6 from the CTS, tweaked to produce nearly 320 horsepower. Like the 2.5, it’s auto-only, with optional AWD. Both will run happily on regular unleaded.
By Jeremy Sinek for MSN Autos
First Cadillac released a teaser image of its new ATS compact sedan, which will debut at next month’s Detroit auto show. Now we’ve been fed another morsel of tantalizing information: details of the powertrain line-up.
The new sport-luxury compact, which is designated to challenge established players like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, will offer a choice of three engines: a base naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder; a 3.6-litre V6; and – the big story here – an over-achieving turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder.
By Greg Migliore, AutoWeek
The Los Angeles auto show kicked off in typical fashion on Wednesday, with car companies rolling out the familiar lineups of convertibles and green machines tailored for the Southern California audience.
Yes, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Jaguar XKR-S are sinister, and the Honda Fit EV will be eco-friendly. But you knew that. So here are a few nuggets we learned after a day of prowling the floor that you won't hear other places.
By Rick Kranz, AutoWeek
It is a small niche, but an important one for Cadillac as it prepares to launch the XTS sedan.
The industry calls it the "black car" business.
The Cadillac XTS sedan will hit dealer showrooms next year in late spring or early summer. The car is one part of the product plan to make Cadillac appealing to import luxury car buyers.
The XTS will be the largest and most luxurious car made by Cadillac, aimed at buyers who demand state-of-the-art technology. Cadillac's new CUE infotainment system is a key part of the technology story, along with a reconfigurable instrument cluster that gives the driver four different displays, from simple to complex.
By Greg Migliore, AutoWeek
Eldorado. De Ville. Cadillac convertibles once meant something. And with a concept revealed on Thursday evening ahead of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the brand that once purported to be the "Standard of the World" is again signaling its intention to retake that mantle of sport and luxury.
Called the Ciel, or pronounced C-L, which translates from French as “sky,” the four-seat, four-door concept is an open-air demonstration with rear-hinged rear doors, a hybrid driveline and 425 hp from a twin-turbo V6 engine that displaces 3.6 liters.
By Greg Migliore, AutoWeek
One of the headliners of the 2009 Detroit auto show, the Cadillac Converj concept, will become production reality.
Cadillac confirmed some details on Wednesday afternoon and said that the coupe will be called the ELR. It will use a T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack, and a generator kicks on to extend range, similar to the Chevrolet Volt. The Cadillac will also use a four-cylinder gasoline engine, again like the Chevy.
By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek
Two new Cadillac sedans will join the brand's lineup in 2012, the full-size XTS and the smaller ATS.
The products were confirmed on Thursday by General Motors North America boss Mark Reuss at an auto-industry conference in Traverse City, Mich.
The XTS is based on the XTS Platinum concept introduced at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It will launch in spring 2012. All-wheel drive will be an option on the XTS, while base versions will send power to the front wheels.
By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek
Chevrolet has let slip some of the details on the 2012 Camaro. Highlights for the sports car include a few more horsepower from the V6, a new suspension package for the SS and a 45th anniversary special edition Camaro that will go on sale to celebrate the pony car's entrance into old age.
The direct-injection V6, which sees duty in everything from the Cadillac CTS to the Malibu and a few crossovers, will deliver 323 hp in this application. That's an increase of 11 hp over the previous model, but it will retain the impressive 30 mpg rating on the highway.
By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos
While there is plenty of attention directed to both Boomers and Tweens as huge and growing segments of the population, the so-called Gen-Y remains the largest buying group around. Defined as those born between 1977 and 1994, Gen-Y is just getting into its stride when it comes to its prime spending years.
But just because Y-ers are replacing Boomers as the big spenders doesn't mean that they'll mimic their parents' purchases. Figuring out which brands are thriving and which are struggling will help brands figure out where to direct their marketing efforts.
The New York-based L2 Think Tank asked over 450 Gen-Y consumers from over 45 countries (including Canada) about their preferences for luxury brands back in May of last year. The split was 55 per cent female and 45 per cent male, but both groups agreed on one thing: that BMW was the auto brand most worthy of the prestige tag. A strong statement, but you only have to drive around Canada's major urban centres to see that there are more Bimmer 3-Series on city streets than Honda Civics.
Justin Couture
Reportedly, the first word to come out of his mouth was "car," and since then it's evolved into a life-long passion. Justin is a fan of passionately engineered vehicles, but in general, loves the industry as much as the cars it produces.
